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Wait and see on Brexit

| Palma |

I sincerely hope that the Balearic government is right and that Brexit will have little impact on the Balearic economy but I am rather alarmed that it can make statements of this sort when Britain still hasn't triggered the formal divorce procedures. I think we saw enough scare-mongering from both sides during the actual referendum campaign, but at the same time we must realise that our lives in Spain will be directly affected by Brexit.

Just last weekend the Times reported that British citizens in Spain may have to pay to enjoy the benefits of the European Union. Local politicians have said that it will be "life as normal" for British citizens after Brexit, but the European Union has said that the fate of British citizens on the continent and EU citizens living in Britain is still very much undecided.

It is the same story with holiday bookings to the island for next summer. At the moment Brexit has not hit bookings to Majorca, but obviously it is still early days and things will become much clearer once Britain triggers the formal divorce proceedings in March. So for the time being it might be better if local politicians adopted "a wait and see attitude" rather than making comments which may be just wishful thinking on their behalf. The chances of the pound returning to the levels seen before the Brexit vote are relatively slim, so the spending power of British tourists is going to be reduced. In the short-term Brexit will bring uncertainty.

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